Brexit: PM Working To Secure Further EU Assurances

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is working to achieve further assurances from the European Union in a bid to push her Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament next week.

Meanwhile, the DUP's deputy leader Nigel Dodds MP has insisted that the controversial backstop position remains the "poison" that is preventing any deal from gaining support.

The Democratic Unionists currently have a confidence and supply deal with the Conservative Government and prop up Mrs May's party.

The meaningful vote on her deal was originally set for December, but rescheduled for Tuesday 15 January due to a lack of support.

The PM said that after the delay, there was "some further movement from the EU" at December's European Council and that further measures would be set out ahead of the vote.

Despite this, the EU Commission has said there will be no renegotiation of the deal.

Ahead of the key week in the House of Commons, Mr Dodds has reiterated his party's position as strongly opposed to the "toxic" backstop, which is an insurance policy in place to avoid a return to a hard Irish border if no other solution can be found through a wider trade deal.

He said: "Theresa May still insists that what she has negotiated is a good deal. She should remember that it would already have been consigned to the bin but for her pulling the vote in December.

"A number of commitments and promises were made when the meaningful vote was pulled. We have engaged with the Government in an attempt to move forward towards a deal which can command support in the House of Commons. So far, the fundamental problems which make this a bad deal appear not to have changed.

"The responsibility for this lies primarily with the EU. EU spokespersons have gone out of their way to reiterate that there will be no renegotiation of the Withdrawal Agreement."

The DUP MP also hit out at the Irish government for its stance against any renegotiation of the deal.

"True to form the Dublin government has quickly shut down any possibility of a breakthrough by its now familiar tactic of a fast and flat rejection of any form of compromise," Mr Dodds continued.

"But in the face of the EU's unwillingness so far to move, it is the duty of the UK Government to stand firm. This is not the time to repeat the mistakes that have led us to the current impasse.

"This is a time for the United Kingdom to make clear what it wants and needs for a Withdrawal Agreement to pass Parliament so that the EU is in no doubt as to what's required for a deal.

"The backstop remains the poison which makes any vote for the Withdrawal Agreement so toxic.

"The EU has shown in the past that it will move but only if faced with a resolute red line on the part of the UK government. The coming days will show if this government is made of the right stuff."



(JG/CM)